Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D., is resigning his position as Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the Department of Transportation (DOT) to join the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“I am pleased that Dr. Runge will join our team as the DHS' first Chief Medical Officer,” said DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. “Runge and his team will have primary responsibility for working with HHS, Agriculture and other departments in completing comprehensive plans for executing our responsibilities to prevent and mitigate biologically based attacks on human health or on our food supply.” Chertoff announced the creation of the Chief Medical Officer position as part of his second stage review of DHS.
